Red, Red, Red
by Kismetica
Summary: There is too much of that colour. I see it everywhere. It blinds me.
I made this small Jet Pack Guy x Rookie one-shot on the whim. Kudos to an anonymous reviewer named Guest who came up with a ship name that I liked: Jekie. Who thinks this is a good ship name? I vote it to be official. My self-proclaimed title is now changed to 'Captain of the Jekie Ship'.

If you want to read my other Jekie fanfiction, I only have one. It's called _Showstopper_ , with only a few chapters, but it's currently under revision.

Warning and Disclaimer: Death and BoyxBoy. I do not own Club Penguin and its characters, as they belong to Disney. This fanfiction, edited too many times, is mine. Try guessing which character is Jet Pack Guy and which is Rookie.

Word Count: 2138

* * *

~Jekie~

"There is nothing you could've done."

I stare at your dying eyes, doing nothing as they dull with every second. I feel hopeless.

Useless.

"D-don't go," I stutter. The world is blending together. I can't see anything except your face.

So marred.

You weakly reach forward to brush my tears away. "I'm still here." You smile weakly, as if to assure me that there is still hope in this forsaken world.

As if I will believe that.

More tears fall. You wipe every one away, on your face and mine. I don't want to see your hand, so scarred and battered and bruised, but it stands out against all the whites of my world. I see the colours tarnishing it clearly.

Red.

Bloody red.

So, so _red_.

My heart bleeds for you, as yours does for me. But it's for the wrong reasons.

 _All the wrong reasons._

"I don't want you to leave!" I wail. Tears streak down my face, mixing with the liquid on your chest. If only I can wash them away. I can flood the island with my tears. "Please don't leave me here! Stay, _stay!_ "

I am pathetic. I can't do anything.

"I'm still here, I'm still here," you try to soothe me. Again and again, the same words float through the air. I hear none of them. I refuse to. "I'm still here, I'm still here…"

"Liar!" I yell more. I can't help it. I'm too stubborn to listen. "Stop lying to me!"

"I'm… not—" You choke on your breath. Blood leaks from your mouth.

Red, red, red.

 _It's more of a crimson,_ I think, horrified. The sight fills me with dread. _Bloody, bloody crimson._

It gets on our hands, and on our clothes. Staining red, black and white darker.

It's unrefutable proof. You are a liar, as filthy as your bloodstains.

I feel sick. You feel pain. We feel trapped in this macabre world.

" _W…h…y…?_ " I lay my head on your chest, trying to delude myself into thinking that you are _okay_ … Yet you are barely breathing.

My hair and cheek stains crimson, but I don't care. It feels disgusting, but I don't care.

I don't care, I don't care, I don't care.

 **You are more important.**

I feel your hand in my hair. It's fragile, barely connected to your will. "It's okay," you whisper. "I'm okay."

Liar, liar, liar.

I lift my head up. Slowly, tiredly. Our eyes meet again.

Both are red. Either red irides or red scleræ, cursed to be so from the start or the end. From one's birth or at one's death. Both are red.

You smile. Your expression is weaker than the last, becoming smaller as the moments go by. There's something in your eyes: realisation. "Don't… don't hate me… but… I want you to go now."

Shock bursts through me. Me? Leave you alone?When all you've done for me is stay by my side?

I shouldn't. I wouldn't. I couldn't.

Therefore, I don't.

" **No, never."**

You narrow your eyes. For some awful reason, you are displeased with my loyalty. You grit your teeth, struggling to utter, "Go. Now."

You spoke with ice. They strike icicles in my heart and freeze it. I suddenly feel cold. The whites cave in.

I hug you closer. You don't stop me. You won't stop me.

… Because with all of your bravado, you _can't_.

Because you are broken and wounded. Because you have lost all hope in saving yourself. Because you are scared of pushing me away.

Because at the bottom of your heart, you don't want me to leave.

"I'm here to stay," I speak with finality. "I'm not leaving you."

You want both of us to leave this world of suffering. But in the end, I am a masochist. I need you to stay with me.

"You _have_ to go." I'm so tired of this push and shove game. Stop saying things. _Stop it._

"I'm here to stay."

Your eyes soften. I stop suffocating. "I'll… I'll catch up," you promise. "But you can go before it's too late."

Lies, lies, lies.

"We still have time," I whisper. "W-we _still_ have time."

"… I don't…"

Your words almost kill me.

I'm at loss. The truth hurts like lies.

They must be the same in a world so white and red.

"W-why does it have to be this way…" I mutter into your bloody clothes. They smell like rotten despair. It sickens me. "It should've been me, not you."

My presence is a mistake.

 _Should've been me, should've been me, should've been me—_

"If it was, I wouldn't have saved you." You seem to believe that you speak the truth. So happy with the bravery that costs your life.

I want you to shut up, but you don't listen to my unspoken words.

You continue, "I am grateful for your safety. I don't regret anything… Please, don't regret it either. Just… go on… forward. Things will… be… fine…" You may not notice it, but I do immediately. Your breaths are becoming slower.

 **I am losing you.**

"Don't go!" I hug you tighter. "Don't go, don't go, don't go…"

Your eyes dull more.

Dull, dull, dull.

Dull against the vibrant red splattered on ourselves.

Red, red, red.

On our hands and our clothes. In our hair and broken hearts.

"Things aren't meant to be this way…" I murmur, squeezing my eyes shut. "We are meant to be together…"

I finally speak about my feelings. They are covered in filth, proving that I have buried them underneath dirty lies. You manage hear and understand clearly, digging past the grime and to the clean truth.

"We _are_ together…"

I say nothing, because I agree wholeheartedly. We _are_ together… in this bloody madness. Delude yourself as much as you like. I'm not stopping you.

You lean forward and plant a kiss on my cheek. It is slow and long lasting, but then you part with my skin and sit up farther. You whisper in my ear, hiding your pain behind effection, "I-I always… wanted to confess something t-to you… After working with you for so long, I can now say that… that… I love you. Cherish this… moment a-as much as you like." Then you lay back down and close your eyes. "You… You can go… now."

My heart breaks.

Again and again and again.

 _Again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again—_

A long silence passes over us. You don't move, waiting for me to abandon you. I don't move either, too busy staring at the broken shards of my heart.

I hate this world. I hate everything. I hate myself.

But I love _you_.

I love you so much… It _hurts_ … You _hurt_ me _so much_ …

But in the end, I accept that our fates are set in stone. I must face the truth no matter how much it batters and bruises my spirit. There's no changing what has happened, no matter how much I will it to. No matter how much I want it to. "I… I only wish things are different…" I whisper. I lightly push you back, but change my mind and pull you closer. I need you close to me while you're still here.

One of your eyes open. A wry smile graces your appearance. "They can, if you try hard enough. Nothing is impossible."

 _Maybe._ My mind races. _Maybe I can stop this from happening in the first place. Maybe I can._

… _But what if I can't?  
_

Your voice breaks me from my dark thoughts. "We will meet again one day," you assure me again. So absurd, so bizarre, so unlike you. Death is such a monster. "Just… please be patient." You cough. "Wait a little longer… I'll be there." Your promises are so abstract. I cannot comprehend any of it.

I sit up. "I'm only going to leave after you," I declare. "I'm here with you until the end." My loyalty shall surpass your kindness. I fear that both shall lead us to despair, however… neither are misguided. It is among the many things we love about each other.

"That's fine." You close your eyes, then open them again. You eyelids are like blinds, blocking me from seeing the beautiful world. "Please smile. I want to leave with your happy face in my mind." The hardest wish for someone in my state to grant.

I imagine a future where you and I are together. We have great times every day, whether with friends or by ourselves. There are no worries. Everything is miraculously perfect. Everyone — especially you and I — is happy.

… If only you haven't endangered yourself to save me.

And now you're broken, battered and bruised, suffocating under blinding snow and a dark, foreboding sky.

White, black, white, black, white, black.

And amidst the stark monochromes, there was a fresh red.

Red, red, red.

 _Splotched across your chest, leaking from your wounds, smeared across your face, pooling around your body, drowning you in your own—_

You see my frown deepening. "No, no. Try again. Think… about all the good… times we've had. There's so many great… times we've… shared with… each… other."

I attempt to be more grateful. It's hard. It's very hard. It's too hard for me.

Then you smile in encouragement.

Vivid memories pass through my mind, from missions to casual days together. I help you, you help me. We support each other. You give me that encouraging smile and I, in turn, give one of my own. We celebrate our accomplishments as though we've shared them. You and I are a team.

We spend time reflecting on the past. We spend time looking forward to the future. We spend time enjoying the present.

True happiness, in front of me the entire time.

My tears dry as my mouth twitch into something bittersweet. "I only regret not spending more time with you," I sigh.

You don't answer with words. Instead you smile widely, which is so much more.

I lay my head on your chest once more, flinching as blood touches my ears, yet I still myself to wait for the inevitable. After all you've done for me, up to this moment… I owe you everything.

So I give you my everything.

"I love you," I say with my heart and soul. "I love you, I love you, I love you."

Three words are not enough.

"You are my world, my universe, my life. You are always there for me. I want to do the same for you. Every grin, every compliment, every moment, I want to do the same for you. I need you to know… to know how much you mean to me. You mean everything, _everything_ , and more. My heart breaks to see you like this, but if you want me to smile then _I swear_ I _will_ smile for you. Anything to give you the happiness you deserve." I pause, taking a deep breath, "I hope you are as happy as you make me."

I look at you, and you at me. Red meets green. Green meets red. "I love you with all my heart."

Your dull eyes twinkle. "Bend down a little."

I lean forward, unknowing of your intentions, and—

—you capture my lips with yours.

I feel at peace. My soul soars to the high heavens. My heart is overcome with addictive euphoria.

You gently break the kiss and lay down with a small grin. "Something to remember me by. Thank you… not just for everything… but for being you."

I will remember it for a long time. I will remember _you_ forever.

We speak no more. True to my words, I stay with you until your heart stops. I don't notice until you whisper a low goodbye.

Time stops as well.

I freeze in my breath, unbelieving that you have left so soon. I already miss you so much.

I do not cry; I have already shed my tears while you were here to appreciate them. I merely close your eyes and kiss you, on your cheeks and forehead, then bury your body with care. Your body is heavy, much like the weight on my heart. I only hope I have given you the love you deserve.

I step back, promising myself to visit you whenever possible, then set off to make things right. It's only fair, for both your and my sakes.

The snow crunches under my shoes. They remind me of my heart breaking, more and more with every step I take walking away from you.

I only stop to pick up a knife, covered in your blood, half-buried in red snow.

There is too much of that colour. I see it everywhere. It blinds me.

 **Red, red, red.**


End file.
